Beginner's Guide To Poker

Poker is one of the most famous and most widely played card game in the world. This game has many variations, including the well-known and equally popular Texas Hold'em variant, but the original poker still rules as the quintessential card gambling game. We will go a brief overview of the basics of the game, as well as its beginnings. We'll also mention where poker is available to play with the special bonuses delivered by SlotsWise.

Quick History of Poker

It's more fun to play poker knowing its origins. Poker is registered in history with the name poque, which was a French game from the 17th century. This game is predated by the Spanish card game primero, which featured a similar gameplay as the Hold'em variant. Poker was brought to North America by French settlers and since then, the rules have been perfected in their current form when English-speaking players included five cards and played the game with a deck of 52. Eve since, both five-card poker and Texas Holdem are the basis for countless international tournaments that take place in the world’s best casinos. These events are televised, giving a much broader exposure to the game of Poker and the culture that surrounds it.

The Basics

Entering a game involves buying into it. Anyone can buy into a live game of poker and pretty much at any time between rounds. However, some casinos have a buy-in requirement to ensure that the game starts and continues on in a high-stakes manner.

In a private pocket game the players can designate a dealer, but often times they take turns in dealing the cards, with each player dealing to his left, that is, clockwise. The cards must be shuffled well before being dealt.

Some games of poker either set an Ante or Blind requirement. In the first approach the players need to ante their bet before being dealt the cards. In the second approach, the Blind game, the first two players to the left of the dealer must enter a bet on the table. This ensures that there are no quick folds and impels players to remain in the game for the opening of the cards.

At the draw, each player can raise the bet. This choice is made either by players who are bluffing in that hand or by those who have been dealt a good hand of cards. It is not a rule to make a bet, but this is part of the game that elevates the action. If a player raises, the bet must be answered by the others if they wish to remain in the game.

In the five-card poker showdown the players can raise their bet before revealing the cards. The raising of the bets goins in a round so that each player can call the raise or up the raise, which then must be called by those who wish to remain for the showdown.

Winning Hands

The winning hands go as follows, by order of strength and relevance. If there aren't any hands that contain a pair in the showdown, the winner is the hand that has the highest card - that card is an ace of hearts. A win with a pair of cards contains two matching cards plus three cards that do not match.

Next is a hand of two pairs, followed by a three of a kind. A Straight features numbers and letters in an ascending order, of any suit or color. For example: three, four, five, six and seven.

A Flush is when the hand reveals all cards of the same suit in the same color. For example, a hand of clubs.

A Full House is a combination of one pair and three of a kind.

For of a kind is exactly that - for example, four aces. Next is a straight flush which is lining of the cards in an ascending order, plus they are all of the matching color and suit.

Finally, a Royal Flush is the strongest hand that starts with a ten and ends with an ace.

Strategy

Countless books have been written on playing poker and strategies for the game. One of the primary basis for developing a strategy is to be mindful of the cards that are being dealt. In an closed game like five card poker, counting cards is not that useful, but in a game of Texas hold'em, the cards that are revealed on the table can reveal details about what cards are still in the game, and that includes the matter of what combinations could potentially be formed by the players.

One of the best strategies in a five-card poker game is to raise a bet before the draw and then raise again after the first hand has been dealt. This strategy is tied to the art of bluffing and should be used sparingly, as other players may realize the ploy.

Another way to "scare" other players into folding is to make a confident raise. This works best when the player making the big raise is the last one being dealt the cards. This shows that his or her cards have a strong combination.

Texas Holdem poker avails much more room for strategizing. When having been dealt a strong hand and the other players have not raised, you can call the raise without raising yourself. This gives a psychological advantage because it reveals to other players that your hand is not decisively stronger than the rest.

Play Poker

Last but not least, few words about where you can play poker via SlotsWise. We have lots of great offers on casino games, including live and video poker. Some of the best casinos are right here, so feel free to use the welcome offers they are giving. One of the biggest casinos in the UK and online is Paddy Power. On par is Betfair and then we have many other such as 32 Red, 888 Casino, All British Casino, Betway, Betsafe and so on. These casinos can be browsed from the Casino Sites tab on the website.

Gambling can easily turn into an addiction and that’s why you should always stay in control of the time and expenditure you invest in online gaming. By law, online operators in the UK inform their users about responsible gambling, it is their responsibility to create a legal, fair and safe environment, where players can relax and enjoy the thrill of an online casino safe in the knowledge that they are being treated responsibly.

The UKGC (UK Gambling Commission) ensures that every site that operates in the UK has obtained a license from the UKGC that allows them to operate legally in the UK. My mission, is to provide you with only the best online slots experience and that means only reviewing and recommending sites that are licensed to operate in the UK.